A Non-Surfer’s Travel Guide and DIY Itinerary to Siargao

Siargao is known as the “Surfing Capital of the Philippines” but this place is not limited only for the professional surfers or surfer wannabes. There is so much in this place than its massive waves that even I, a city girl who’s afraid of the water, loved and enjoyed it. So, from the non-surfer me, let me share you my itinerary to this beautiful and chillest island in the Philippines.

My first Mindanao sunrise.

HOW TO GO TO SIARGAO

via Skyjet Airline: Skyjet offers direct flights to Sayak Airport. Plane ticket starts at P3,000 one way. Watch out for their seatsale. Airfare can go as low as P3k/RT.

via Cebu Pacific: Cebu Pacific only have direct flights to Siargao from Cebu City so if you’re coming from Manila, you have to fly to Cebu first. You can also opt for a flight to Surigao City and Butuan City.

via Cokaliong Shipping Line: Cokaliong Shipping line offers motor vessels that travel overnight from Cebu to Surigao City for P825 starting price. Since Cebu flights are often on sale than Siargao ones, this is a cheaper way but time-consuming one.

Ours is via Cebu Pacific Manila to Butuan. It is not on sale so we got our ticket around 6k pesos. Cebu Pacific’s Siargao flights are rarely on sale so I advised you to keep an eye on Butuan instead. You can get it as low as P600/RT.

If you choose to fly to Surigao City: You still need to ride a roro from Surigao Port to Dapa port for 2.5 hours. (P250) The last roro to Dapa is at 12:30nn.If you choose to fly to Butuan City: Ride a van to Surigao City just outside the airport for 3 to 4 hours. (P200) We did this and the travel consumed almost a day.

We arrived at Butuan at 6AM and we reached Siargao at 2:30PM. Wew!

ACCOMMODATIONS

Siargao offers all kinds of accommodation, from budget to luxurious, for the solo travelers, to couples, to groups. There are also Airbnbs around but most of it are big beach houses and habal-habals might not be familiar with it since it’s residential. So we stick with the beach resorts and I was able to book Ocean 101 Beach Resort in Travelbook.PH.

Ocean 101 is in between of budget and luxurious. I paid P1,800 for 3-night stay in a family room for 6 adults that can actually fit 10 persons. It is just 5 minutes walk to Cloud 9 Boardwalk and some famous cafes and restaurants in Siargao. If you want a good and beautiful place to stay but don’t want to hurt your wallet at the same time, I recommend you here.

Here’s a list of all the accommodations I saw online before Travelbook’s Siargao hotels saved me:

Please take note that most of the prices above are divided into 6 persons. Bigger groups tend to be cheaper so I advised you to bring your friends or make friends to other tourists to share the boat fees. Everyone is friendly on this island so don’t be shy to make friends at the restaurants and hostels. We met a lovely couple in our island hopping who even let us have a drone shot! So go ahead and be extra friendly.

TRAVEL TIPS

There’s a party almost every night in different bars. Just ask the locals where. But they said that the best is the local party every Friday night.

If you know how to ride a motorbike, then better rent one. It is cheaper than renting a tricycle. (P500/day)

The Pacific Ocean waves are wild so if you’re not a surfer, hire an instructor, please. (P500)

The seabed is kinda rocky so expect to have some small scratches or cut in your feet when you fell down the surfboard.

The foods are kinda pricey but they’re good. If you’re in the budget, there’s always Mama’s Grill.

The island has so many stray dogs. They’re harmless so don’t be scared.

All of our activities are made possible by Kuya Loyding. You can contact him here 09056054600. He has a trike and his own boat (so no additional charges) and one of the kindest tour guide I knew.

I’ll be blogging all my experiences soon so you can keep an eye on that. Are you planning to go anytime soon or have been to the island already, we can talk in the comment section or drop me an email. ?

I didn’t know that Siargao is the Surfing Capital of the Philippines. I know that it’s famous for beaches, but I’ve never really been there. I only see photos from friends and none of them went surfing when they went there. Ha!

Your itinerary is noted. But I might try to learn how to surf if I go there. I’ll have to learn how to swim first, though. Ha!

BTW, I love how you crop and paste your photos like that. It makes it look like pages from a magazine.

Hi, Heide!! Welcome to thy humble blog. I haven’t advertised it at much on IG din kasi. I’ll do next time. Oh, it is. The waves are gigantic and will definitely eat you alive. haha! I’m not a good swimmer too but yes it will be an advantage to know how to swim din. Good luck on that!

I went to Siargao last year and my friends and I rode a bus from Cagayan de Oro to Butuan, then van to Surigao. It was such a loooong trip. Ang hassle! Sobra! But the island made it super worth it. Siargao is definitely a gem! Hopefully, I’ll visit it again this May 🙂

Love the detailed the itinerary!
My friends and I are going there on the 20th. If i may ask, the whole island hopping(naked/daku/guyam) just cost your group 1500?
Appreciate it if you could share the contact # of the guide or with whom we can coordinate that tour. Thanks a lot!

What boat ride? If the Surigao-Siargao boat ride, it’s bearable naman since we rode a roro naman. I didn’t get seasick too. The waves can be really big that why the last roro to Siargao is at 12:30PM. The island hopping, sugba lagoon are not advised to be done on afternoon because of the waves too.

hello. i checked ocean 101’s website and the rate for the family room is different from what you quoted. it’s $84/night on the website. is there another family room at a cheaper rate? planning to go there this Sept group of 6.

Nice IT. My son and I will be there from December 28-January 1. We’ll be staying in Romantic Beach Villas. Any tips for a solo traveling mom with a 7 year old boy? Is the area where we are staying suitable for swimming? Also, what tours do you suggest we arrange for? Thank you

Romantic Beach Villa as I remember has a pool so I guess that will be good for your son. The waves are really big in Siargao so I don’t think the ocean is safe for him kasi even I kinakaen ng alon. I suggest you do the island hopping. (Naked, Daku and Guyam) Magpupungko Pool Rock is beautiful too but it will take 45 – 60 minutes to reach it from General Luna.

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hi! good day I had fun reading your SiARGAO experience. I and my boyfriend are planning to go in Siargao by October hopefully. I just want to ask if KUYA LOYDING is your only tour guide for 3 days? I mean, can he make all the land and boat arrangement for us so it’ll be a hassle free tour for us since we are just two person travelling? looking forward for your response.